What to do if you think you have food poisoning

Janet Fletcher, Kristen Townsend

Published 4:00 am, Wednesday, October 26, 2005

If you believe you have been sickened by a restaurant meal, health authorities advise alerting the establishment and calling the health department of the county where the restaurant is located; see accompaying phone numbers.

General symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea; sometimes headache, muscle cramps and abdominal cramps. Staph symptoms come on rapidly, but generally the time elapsed between ingestion and illness is 24 to 72 hours.

To file a report: Have the following information on hand to quicken the process:

San Francisco County: (415) 252-3800; if four or more people were sickened, call (415) 554-2830. For recent health inspection reports and scores for San Francisco County restaurants, go to www.dph.sf.ca.us/eh.

San Mateo County: (650) 363-4305; for inspection results or to file online go to smhealth.org